


Best Men

by Page620



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Barry has the best friends, Best man choices, Cisco knew what he was doing, Crossover, Gen, Oliver just wants to belong, Wedding Planning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-08
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-12-25 06:46:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12030393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Page620/pseuds/Page620
Summary: Barry is getting married. He is finally getting the girl of his dreams. Joe’s supportive. Cisco’s excited. Caitlin is overjoyed. Wally is all smiles. Everything is perfect. So what is Oliver doing in Central city and why does he look like someone kicked his cat?





	Best Men

**Author's Note:**

> I just love the somewhat off-kilter relationship of Barry and Oliver. They would be awesome bros. Though it didn't strike me as odd to have Barry ask Cisco to be his bestman, I also wanted Oliver to be one. I'd been thinking about this storyline for some time now and was waiting for someone to write something about it but... oh, well... here goes nothing.

Barry was in his lab at the CCPD processing some evidence under a microscope… the microscope that Iris had given him about 2 Christmases ago. “Iris,” his brain supplied while peering down the eyepiece lens. He couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his face. He shouldn’t be smiling like this while checking blood samples of a possible homicide but, all things considered, he was just… happy.

He was scribbling some observations on his evidence folder when he felt someone watching him from the doorway.

“Jeesh, Oliver…” he was startled. Oliver can be so ninja-like sometimes. Barry didn’t even notice him when he arrived.

“Hey, Barry,” Oliver answered, his arms crossed while leaning on the door frame.

Barry fixed his worktable and stood up smiling. This was a total surprise. He approached him to give him his patented bear hug and Oliver’s eyes comically widened in anxiousness. Barry laughed and decided to shake hands instead. Baby steps…

“How have you been? What are you doing here?” Barry rattled on, “It isn’t every day that the mayor of Star City visits the CCPD. Are you working on something?” he peers behind Oliver to make sure no one is listening. Whatever Oliver’s agenda is… it may be tied in to his Green Arrow activities and Barry knows well enough to be cautious about it while in the presence of police officers.

Oliver smirks and seems amused at Barry’s question. “You’re engaged,” he states plainly.

Barry is momentarily taken aback. “How did you…” he stops and answers his own question, “… Felicity,” he says with resignation.

Caitlin, Felicity and Cisco have been exchanging info about criminal activity every now and again. It wouldn’t be a stretch to have them breech the topic of Barry and Iris’ engagement while they were at it.

Barry is a little embarrassed that Oliver got his info second hand or rather third hand if he wanted to be more specific about it. Barry wanted the chance to be able to break the news to his friend himself… if he found the time… which he hadn’t. He had been swamped with meta attacks, CCPD duties and well, Iris. He just didn’t make much of a deal about informing people yet until a date had been set.

“Actually,” Oliver corrected, “no.”

Barry raised an eyebrow. What? There was only a limited number of people who had known about their engagement and, frankly, he didn’t know anyone else who could have told Oliver about it… unless, “Iris?” Barry supplied.

Oliver chuckled. He actually chuckled which by all standards was very rare. There is something gratifying about being the reason for making Oliver break out of character even if it was at his own expense so Barry wasn’t complaining.

“So… spill. Who told you?” Barry inquired.

Oliver seemed to be enjoying himself making Barry a little flustered. “It was Cisco.”

Huh… that was… intriguing? Barry stood silent for a moment scrunching up his eyebrows at the revelation. Now, why would Cisco tell Oliver about his engagement? Since when had they been in communication with each other? Cisco was indeed a fanboy when it came to the Green Arrow and wasn’t shy in admitting it. Heck! Barry was a kindred spirit in that regard. But, this was not a common topic that you’d think of conversing about given the world that they, in particular, lived in. Criminals, masterminds, metas… that would be more likely but…

“How,” Barry began, “on earth did you get to discuss this at all?” He approached Oliver and continued, “I was the one who was supposed to tell you. I mean… it’s not a big deal for you but you know that I’d want you to be there, right?”

Oliver took a seat near Barry’s desk and toyed around with a pen. “Cisco,” he raised his eyes to look at Barry, “told me that you chose him to be your best man.”

Barry stuttered. Oh…

It had been an obvious choice. Cisco was his best friend. He knew that he had his back in everything. They worked together to protect Central city. He knew Barry and his alter ego. Barry had opened up to him, earlier on, about his feelings for Iris, and Cisco had always been supportive. It just made sense to Barry that he’d choose him right away.

“Umm…” Barry affirmed, “yeah?”

Now that Barry thought about it. He realized that he hadn’t even considered anyone else for the part. Wally, Harry, HR… they didn’t even make the cut. But, now, he looked at Oliver who was staring quite intensely at him and he couldn’t help the guilty feeling that was creeping up on him when it registered that all the things he had considered Cisco to be… Oliver was also. Maybe on a different level but definitely with the same intensity.

Oliver had opted to silently stare and let Barry simmer with the realization. He normally wasn’t petty. He was very much the opposite of Cisco and if that was the basis for Barry's choice, he could probably be more understanding. But, Cisco had needled at him and bragged about it like Oliver had lost a bet. Maybe not intentionally but it was there.

Oliver knew he had been a bit busy with his own things in Star city and maybe Barry thought that he wouldn’t be bothered by it. But, somehow, it did bother him.

For all intents and purposes, Barry was a brother to him. He had saved his life. He had shared his worries. He had asked for help. He had inspired him to be better. On his part, Oliver had done the same. Shared experiences aside, Barry had wormed his way into his life in such a way that not being a part of his… well, it hurt.

It didn’t take long for Barry to break the ice. Awkward silences were never a good option for him.

“Listen, Oliver,” Barry breathed deep, “I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to tell you about it. To be fair, the first proposal kind of got screwed. And then, the next one was kind of overshadowed by the whole Savitar problem.”

“Barry,” Oliver interrupted, “I didn’t come here because I was mad that you didn’t tell me right away. That’s your choice. You have no obligation to inform me about every little detail that’s happening to you,” he paused, trying to find the right way to express himself without making Barry feel bad, “I just… this is a big deal for you. And, I wanted to… I guess, be a part of it. I needed you to know that I want to be part of it. I don’t want to be an afterthought when it comes to you. I… I never had a brother and, with Diggle, I sort of gained an older brother but you… You’re the young sibling who gets on my nerves, annoys me at the point of exhaustion and doesn’t seem to stop telling me all the things that I could be for others and all the things that I am to you. I guess, I felt like, I haven’t been as good a friend as you’ve been to me.”

Barry placed a hand on Oliver’s shoulder and knelt down so that he could be at eye level with him as he spoke.

“Ollie, you have been a great friend. And, yeah, we haven’t seen each other much lately and we all know why that is,” Barry glanced back at the doorway to make sure that they were still alone. “But, know this Oliver, you are still my hero. No matter how many arrows you shoot at my back,” Barry laughed.

“You really can’t let that go, can you?” Oliver smiled.

“Nope. It hurt. Although to be fair, I’ve encountered more injuries that are worse than that. Did I tell you that Savitar stabbed me in the chest with his claw? Right here…” Barry pointed at his chest.

Oliver frowned but didn’t comment.

Barry couldn’t believe that Oliver had gone down to Central city just to find out why he wasn’t his first choice for best man at his wedding. Again, totally out of character. For the length of time Barry had known Oliver, he very rarely shared… feelings. He was, basically, stoic. He was all strategy, logic, planning… and to have him tell Barry that he considered him as a little brother was humbling.

“The thing is, Oliver, it was a spur of the moment thing when I decided to ask Cisco to be my best man,” there was a slight hopeful spark in Oliver’s eyes. Barry raised a hand to stop him from interrupting. “I don’t regret choosing Cisco. He _is_ one of my best friends.”

Oliver nodded, eyes downcast resigned to the idea that Barry had made up his mind with his choice.

“But,” Barry smiled, “there are no rules saying I only have to have one.”

Oliver brought his eyes back on Barry who playfully winked at him with a grin that altogether warmed his heart.

Barry was sure that his decision was the right thing to do. If his ever growing unconventional family was to be considered, he'd have a whole league of superheroes attending their wedding.

They both stood up and, to Barry’s surprise, Oliver offered a hug which he gladly took.

“Told you, you’d get used to it eventually,” Barry teased.

They shared a quiet laugh and Barry glanced back at his microscope and evidence folder. He looked at Oliver with a growing grin. A second or two later, the papers were filed, the evidence was locked up and Barry’s desk was free of clutter.

“Guess what?” Barry flashed in front of Oliver, “I’m suddenly free for an early lunch and you're buying.” He grabbed Oliver’s arm, laughed and guided him out of the lab.

“Do you do that often?” Oliver chided directing his gaze to the stack of filed folders that had been speedily finished.

Barry replied with an air of confidence, “As I said, it’s not every day that I get a visit from Star city’s mayor. I think it required doing today. Besides,” he added, “I think we need to go and talk to Iris… and then maybe Cisco.”

Oliver nodded and followed him out straightening his coat.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not fully satisfied with what I wrote but at least I got it out of my system. I wanted it to be less cheesy but it turned out that way. Hope you liked it anyway.. Thanks for reading.


End file.
